Hindu devotees in Nepal took part in a mass holy bath on Thursday in the ancient town of Sankhu, as they marked the first day of the Madhav Narayan festival.
Hundreds of worshippers, mostly women, warmed up by lighting small fires before immersing themselves in the waters of the holy Salinadi river, Efe news reported.
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During the month-long festival, devotees fast, chant hymns, meditate and undertake holy dips to pay tribute to Hindu Goddess Swasthani.
The worshippers also spend time studying the religious book of Swasthani, which relates the lives of the Goddess and Hindu God Shiva.
While men pray for good fortune, married women pray for the well being and prosperity of their husbands and families, and unmarried women pray that they will find a good husband.
